A portable electronic device is capable of interacting with a user and transportable due to its diminutive size and portable power supply. An example of a portable electronic device is a wireless communication device, which provides long-range communication of voice or data over a communication network of specialized base stations to other communication devices remote from the wireless communication device. Portable electronic devices come in a variety of form factors, such as brick, bar, flip/clamshell, slider or rotator/swivel form factors, and each form factor can have a touchscreen or QWERTY keypad. Regardless of the form factor, the device generally includes some type of indicator to convey information to a user or otherwise facilitate the user's use and enjoyment of the device.
Indicators are often used by portable electronic devices as labels to let a user know about certain features or functions the device. For example, one type of indicator is a letter or number label that is provided on a keypad or keyboard. By viewing the indicator, the user may know which number or letter of the alphabet corresponds to the key labeled by the indicator.
Indicators are commonly placed at an outer surface of a portable electronic device so that is in clear view and highly visible. As such, the indicators are always visible and available to the user. On the other hand, many users are capable of remembering the feature or function labeled by an indicator after operating its associated device for an initial time period. Thus, the indicators are primarily useful when a user first learns to use the device and secondarily useful when the user desires a refresher of the labeled feature or function.
Some portable electronic devices attempt to maintain a desirable aesthetic appearance that may otherwise be diminished due to the highly visible indicator. The appearance may be maintained by limiting the times when the indicator is visible. Such devices, however, require active components that have a cost associated with them and the indicator is still highly visible at certain times. Other devices may maintain their desired appearance by creating a removable indicator, but such devices do not provide any type of refresher of the labeled feature or function to the user after the indictor is removed.